Rise of the FB groups, Instagram, Pinterest, etc

[admin1 aka Ed]

So the Board is slowing down.... I attribute it to the rise of Facebook groups and pages.

What do you guys think, do you visit forums much or is it (like with me) a Facebook time in the world now?

I find myself constantly on Facebook via messaging or more dynamic (maybe too instant) feedback/likes/etc.


Ed

[mecha-mania]

Dont know about the rest, i still visit rj forum on a daily basis. What is most important to me is the content and the sharing of information which i find in abundance in rj. I have came across a forum which bar members from comparing toy prices of local toy shops and commenting on them in general, which to me is utterly ridiculous. Over at rj, members are always willing to share and the experience i gained here is invaluable to my toy collecting hobby. Maybe my reach is not extensive enough, but i have not quite find a forum as good as rj.

Speaking of facebook, i have yet to visit a toy centric facebook page, but i have came across it through other area of interest. Somehow, i find their cataloguing of information extremely unstructured, looking and searching for specific information in a facebook page is a pain for me, call me old fashioned, but you cant beat a good ol' forum in terms of organising of i formation. Keeping in touch with friends using facebook is ok with me, but definitely not for collectible toy resource. But thats just me

[locidm]

I visit daily as well. RJ has been my home for info as well as outlet for sharing pictures and opinions. Not everyone has toy collectors as friends. I like the anonymity of the forum as well. With Facebook everything is in the open.

[superrobotarmy]

I only use FB for family. I don't want people to see I like this or that group. Forums bring the benefit of avatars and silly noms de guerre. However I came across an interesting group on FB called 5 point 5. They are people making customised or bespoke MOTU-style action figures, a bit with thesame mindset of companies like Super 7 or Japanese sofubi artists. For example, one guy sells kits to transform your He-man into Warduke from LJN D&D line of figures, or another made a character called Algor with a head looking like a bunch of seaweeds. Etc.

[S_Gokin]

hey Ed, this is a common problem for forums these days, the majority of people prefer the social media apps since they are easier to access, we were discussing this topic in an anime forum awhile back

i visit RJ daily tho, im not a facebook user but i use Instagram alot for my figures photography

[BIGFIRE]

I'm on the forum daily as well. I not a fan of Facebook and I have very little interest in Instagram unless its one of you guys who has pictures there. Everyone doesn't see toy collecting or anime watching for that matter. I only bring certain people into that part of my life. You guys share a lot of info here and I've never had a bad experience here. If I were to tell some family members how much I paid for some of my toys they would flip their wig. You guys understand though.

I'd like an app for the board but I don't want to trade the board for Facebook.

[locidm]

There is already an app for the board and it's called Tapatalk. You will just need to search for Robot-Japan as it is used by many other boards as well.

[Philo Beddoe]

I am a member of a few FB groups but I mainly lurk.

Like locidm said, I like the anonymity of forums. Somehow I doubt I'll ever contribute/participate on the FB groups (unless I create a dummy account).

[Watari]

I also agree with locidm, privacy should always be considered when going online.

I don't want to be included in what Mark Zuckerberg refer to as "dumb f#<k$"

[OJA]

I visit here regularly, focusing on the topics that interest me most. In here, I feel that I do not have to explain to anybody about this hobby-we understand it already.

[supergetterv]

Members like Daimchoc on FB is great for news and pictures on almost anything Transformers. Also for Cantonese collectors, ToysDaily FB page is great for news. FB is easy to use and following certain members and sites just keeps me in the loop. I get information much faster on FB. The only thing with FB is I don't like to post on FB. I feel that posting on Forum Message Board offers more privacy.

[ancer]

I have yet to be part of the Facebook world. I prefer the forums. I'm not on here everyday but this is where I go for a lot of information.

[admin1 aka Ed]

Great to hear this feedback! See, I'm finding that social connecting has "splintered" groups. Forums, my preference, do a much better job of keeping topic threads easy to navigate. They also archive important topics much better..... that said, I'm happy to hear this backing for y'all!

[Coletron]

I joined RJ in March. Before I officially joined, I spent a few months reading just about every thread that interested me, going back several years. I learned all I could about Godaikins, Popy, SOC, Evolution Toys, Jumbos, and so much more. What an education! Once I felt I had something to contribute,I started posting. I love posting pics on RJ, as I know this is where the serious collectors are. I know people appreciate them. The members are friendly and helpful. Any time I need to know anything, this is where I turn. This is my #1 resource. The information and knowledge base of the members is absolutely astounding. This is much better than any Facebook page, or any other type of board for that matter. I spend more time here than anywhere on the web or on my phone. I love and appreciate Robot-Japan.

[RoboFestivus]

Screw social media. Long live the forums, and long live RobotJapan.

[samazinga]

Im getting back into vintage stuff, which means I'm back on here. I deleted my FB, too much filler and junk for something I mostly used to check out toy groups. I prefer it here, where I can go back ten years to look for something if need be.

[cupnoodles]

FB is nice for seeing pictures of upcoming releases, but other than that it doesn't feel like there is any kind of real conversations or learning going on there.

[Mr. Ginrai]

I'll weigh in. You guys know I have been a very active user here since I joined 5+ years ago. Before getting into the hobby heavily, I used to lurk RJ because it was such a quality resource at the time (and still is). I could tell from that the forum offered something for everyone, without being too crowded and no one treated each other in a negative way here, as you see on other forums.

While I have joined about 4 Facebook groups for certain toy lines, those groups have some friends/fellow collectors in them and I enjoy the occasional conversation there - but it's more like one shot bursts - post up an old pic, and people will like or comment and kind of discuss in a reduced fashion. Threads that may last days or months here die in just a few hours on Facebook, as their model bumps the newest active posts above each other constantly. While I enjoy it, it's a lot to keep up with, even when managing your feed well.

RJ is pretty much the last forum of its kind in the US, at least, for our genre and we are fortunate enough to have a global reach, a great admin and great members. I don't want it to go away, as I do the same as Sam does - dig through the old threads - I was 50 pages deep into the vintage section at one point and still going.

I constantly look forward to continuing to spend time here and contributing as I always have. Hope we have many more years of great news, reviews, and discussion.

- Mike

[samazinga]

I have noticed though that the board is slowing down immensely, which is kind of a bummer. I think part of it is that any thread I didn't participate in all the way through is instantly available for me instead of having to wait days and weeks for replies. I dont mind it though, it just feels different.

[xtrlowz75]

This is my Robot home and heaven. I feel I'm able to geek out freely here with everyone and we can all geek together haha. RJ is its own place. Kinda like the old school local bar or pub. Plus people only come here if they understand or want to understand the toy robot love. Anywhere else runs the risk of haters who just don't feel the same, or understand our nich hobby. Not to mention all the info we have here, and the ability to sell our stuff just between RJ family. Larger social media would undo the comfort we all love. Having a Facebook page isn't all that bad but let it lead here. Don't put this awesome site there. Much love and respect my friends.